


children are insightful

by kontj (kaguol)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Babysitters, Babysitter Akaashi, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Single Parents, hinata as your son, single parent reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:29:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28338489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaguol/pseuds/kontj
Summary: your son figures out the will-they-won’t-they dance between you and akaashi. it’s embarrassing, but a much needed push in the right direction.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53





	children are insightful

“Shoyo!”

Footsteps thud through the apartment floor, your hands scrambling to button your collar and shove the remainder of your papers into your briefcase. You curse softly, ready to yell out for your son, only to find the unruly mess of tangerine hair pop into your line of visual.

“I’m ready!”

For a moment, the world stops, and you could only smile at the sight before you, a wide grin on his face even as his coat was buttoned wrongly – and inside out. Not to mention the mismatched polka-dot lime and purple dinosaur socks. It was a mess, but so irrevocably your Shoyo that you didn’t have the heart to make him change out of it.

Well, you don’t really have the time for it either, but that’s the sentiment you’re sticking with for now.

“Alright, big boy, let’s go!”

He lets out a squeal, practically shoving you out of the way. Your smile fades as you stood, black spots dotting your vision. “Baba?” Pressing a hand to your temple, you blink rapidly, hand shooting out to the table to steady yourself.

“Baba’s okay, Sho,” you smile, comforting the pair of wide eyes that seemed to sense your distress. Taking a moment to down an energy drink, you whisk your son out the door, safely fastening his helmet as you sat him on the front of your bike. With a few rings, the two of you were off, Shoyo squealing in glee as you made your way through the neighborhood.

The bike screeches to a stop, Shoyo already anxious to get off the bike and join his friends inside the daycare. With a hurried kiss on your cheek, he was off, throwing his arms around the blueberry haired kid with a milk carton. Checking your watch, you allowed yourself a few moments to catch your breath.

“Good morning, L/N-san.”

You jolt, turning around to see the head of the day care smiling at you in greeting. “Akaashi-san, good morning!”

The bespectacled man fixes you with a stare, and you feel embarrassment creep up the base of your neck. “Are you – ”

Your phone buzzes, and you shoot him an apologetic look, answering your phone just as you wave goodbye. “I’ll leave him in your care, Akaashi-san,” you whisper, hand on the speaker before hurrying off.

As he watches you figure disappear down the street, it’s Bokuto’s voice that pulls him out of his thoughts. “Still pining, Akaashi?” Though his face turns into a deep scarlet, he doesn’t deny. He had been, pining, that much is true.

And it had also been the _fifth_ day this week that he had chickened out from giving the self-care package he put together. His mind wanders as he goes through the day, thoughts travelling from the many tasks, and always coming back to your lips and the crinkle in your eyes when you grin.

He hadn’t seen the same spark in your hues for a while now, and there was an evident strain in your smile. Between your two jobs and taking care of Shoyo, he couldn’t bear to imagine the stress you’ve accumulated. Though you try to mask the fatigue with false cheeriness, and though part of him is impressed, a bigger part of him couldn’t help but worry for your health.

Akaashi hears a sniffle, and sees the light of the kids’ bathroom on, the familiar bright orange hair missing from the lumps taking their afternoon nap.

Softly making his way to the washroom, he spots Shoyo, bottom half naked with his pants in the sink. Tiny hands grapple at the soap as it slides away from his grasp, a puddle already forming at his feet.

He crouches next to him, whispering reassurances to the young boy while he slowly pries it from his hands. “It’s great that you’re trying to clean up after yourself, Shoyo-kun, but leave the laundry up to sensei next time, okay?”

Shoyo nods, head glued to the floor. As Akaashi begins to dress him in a pair of pants you left behind for emergencies, the boy’s tears began to increase almost tenfold. “P-Please don’t tell B-Baba, sensei,” he bumbles, words broken up into sobs.

Akaashi’s mind races with the implications of the child’s fear. “Does Baba hurt you when you wet the bed, Shoyo?” he coaxes.

Orange hair fly around as he shakes his head furiously. “If I wet the bed… if Shoyo’s a bad boy, then Baba will be sick…”

The raven-haired man’s heart plummets as he takes the child in his arms. “I don’t want Baba to leave me!” Shoyo wails, cries muffled against the fabric of Akaashi’s shirt. _Children are more insightful than you think, L/N-san_ , he muses.

* * *

It’s dark out when you arrive at the daycare, your bicycle nearly thrown into the parking space as you hurl mental curses at your boss for making you stay late. You had called ahead, but you didn’t expect to be out for almost two hours.

Thankfully there were still a few parents in your same predicament, and your heart calms. It’s Bokuto that meets you at the door, arms crossed and lips in a firm line. It’s endearing, and for a moment all you could think about is a very disappointed horned owl.

He tells you of what happened that afternoon, and it catches you off guard. Before you could sputter anything else, the silver haired caretaker silences you with what happened right after.

“Baba?”

“Shoyo.”

You turn, eyes welling with tears at the sight of your son. “Because of me you were so scared,” you whisper, voice quivering as you lean down to cup his cheek.

“I’m so…”

The last thing you see is a wide grin, eyes bright with so much love – before the black spots in your vision overtakes it.

* * *

“Ah, L/N-san.”

Your eyes flutter open, the bleary image sharpening into focus, revealing a pair of blue eyes behind thick glasses. You shoot into a seated position, wincing at the thrum in your head. A weight settled on your leg, a smile blooming on your face at the sight.

There was a puddle of tears and snot on your uniform, but such things could be washed away. What mattered to you was the young boy clinging onto you even in his sleep, mumbling and calling for you in his dreams.

“L/N-san, what did you eat today?”

You turned your head, faced with a stern Akaashi, holding a thermometer near your face like a weapon. Behind him, stands a rather amused Bokuto. Fearing the wrath of the bespectacled caretaker, you circle through your day, a sheepish smile your only response. “I’ve had some coffee and an energy drink this morning, and a piece of toast?”

Bokuto senses the change of his best friend’s aura, and excuses himself to grab you some leftovers. The door clicks shut, and before Akaashi could open his mouth, the lecture dies on his lips at the tears running down your cheeks.

“I’ve really gone and made a mess, haven’t I?”

He sighs, settling next to your spot on the floor. “I thought that by starting anew I’d have a chance to make things right you know? To do good by Shoyo in a way that I haven’t experienced in my own youth.”

Akaashi listens as the words flow from you – from all the hardships you went through in your previous settlement, to the struggles you faced into moving into the current one. Of your difficulties in Shoyo’s infancy, and the frustration of your exhausting boss.

“But it seems that no matter how hard I try… I’ll still end up causing trouble to others and still ending up in the same path of being a horrible parent. I’ve even made my _four-year-old_ worry about me!” You sigh.

“Y/N.”

The sudden use of your name snaps you back in the present, the gunmetal eyes piercing through you. “If anything, you’re the opposite of what you claim. Shoyo has a sharp mind and a watchful eye – but most importantly, he’s got a good heart.”

His eyes soften as he smooths down a patch of your son’s hair that was sticking up. “He puts others first before him, even in the little things. He sticks up for the littler ones, and he’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind.” Akaashi fixes you a smile, and your heart warms.

“That’s pretty good parenting if you ask me.”

For a moment, you let the words settle, and for the first time in a while, you can’t help but laugh. The sound gently wakes Shoyo, eyes sparkling at the smile on our face. “’s not hurt? Baba stay?”

You nod, kissing the top of his head. “I’m okay, Sho. I’m not going anywhere.”

* * *

“Thanks again for – well, everything, basically.”

Akaashi brushes you away, thankful for the orange glow of the overhead streetlights to shield his blush. “I’d also like to apologize for calling you by your name like that – it was rude of me.” Your eyes widen at his perfect bow, and your own words cut off by your son’s huff.

“Sensei! You’re forgetting again!”

A light bulb flashes in Akaashi’s head as he scrambles for the door, only to reappear moments later with a small basket in his hands.

“I – er _we_ wanted to give you a little something. To, you know, thank you for your hard work? R-Right Shoyo-kun?”

The little one beams, practically shouting for you to open it. Inside you find a few scented candles, some hand cream, a couple of face masks, and a drawing from your child, messily scrawled with his name. You raise your eyebrows at Akaashi, who only fidgeted with his apron.

“Keiji?”

The sound of his name on your lips almost sends him to heaven – had it not been for the hug that followed it. You pull away, eyes holding a different kind of softness as you whisper your thanks. As you pedal away, Akaashi is left frozen on the sidewalk, still processing the feel of your body pressed against his.

Oh, and of the piece of paper you slipped into his hand, complete with a note and a tiny heart.

* * *

“Congrats for not being a chicken today, Baba!” Shoyo cheers, scarfing down his meal. You roll your eyes, lightly flicking his forehead as the two of you erupt into giggles. _He’s a little too smart for his own good_ , you think – only to take it back as he uses his spoon as a straw.

Your peaceful sip was interrupted by your inquisitive son, who continues to break your expectations – constantly raising the bar.

“So when is sensei going to be my Papa?”


End file.
